Dan Howdle | March 18th, 2024
So you've decided to get a broadband deal from Virgin Media – good choice. You'll soon benefit from Virgin Media Broadband's excellent speeds and high degree of reliability, provided via an outstanding router with a host of extra features.
What follows here are the answers to the most common questions and sticking points customers coming new to Virgin Media typically have in mind before being able to choose a deal with confidence.
Virgin Media Broadband offers a number of benefits compared to most competitors. Virgin Media runs its own network using a different technology to other providers, which is why packages aren't directly comparable to providers like Sky, BT and TalkTalk.
Here are the benefits of signing up to Virgin Media Broadband deal in 2024:
So where do you start figuring out which is right? Our advice is simply to consider what you need versus what you want. Virgin Media's M125 package, which offers download speeds of 132Mbps is plenty for most households. It's already twice as fast as your typical superfast fibre broadband deal. So why do these other, crazy-fast speeds exist?
Broadband Package | Download Speed | Upload Speed | Monthly Cost |
---|---|---|---|
M50 Fibre Broadband | 54Mbps | 5Mbps | £25 per month |
M125 Fibre Broadband | 132Mbps | 20Mbps | £26.50 per month |
M250 Fibre Broadband | 264Mbps | 25Mbps | £30.50 per month |
M350 Fibre Broadband | 362Mbps | 36Mbps | £34.50 per month |
M500 Fibre Broadband | 516Mbps | 52Mbps | £33.99 per month |
Gig1 Fibre Broadband | 1.1Gbps | 104Mbps | £40.99 per month |
Gig2 Fibre Broadband | 2Gbps | 200Mbps | £84 per month |
The simple answer is busy households and downloads. Very busy households with many household members should go for faster speeds, because you never know when one or two people might be hogging the connection to download a film or a game. And you may even wish to consider something like Gig1 if you download videogames a lot as it considerably cuts down on the time you'll spend waiting.
Realistically though, most households will manage just fine on M125, so that's where we recommend is the place to start. You can always upgrade your speed further down the line if you need it.
In this section, we provide in-depth information about the most popular Virgin broadband packages.
M50 | M125 | M250 | M350 | M500 | Gig1 | Gig2
Only offered occasionally, Virgin Media's M50 fibre broadband is very much their entry level package. With download speeds of 54Mbps, and uploads at 5Mbps, it very much falls into the 'adequate' column. But it's still that – perfectly adequate and reliable for many people who simply don't need the higher speeds on offer.
We think Virgin Media's M125 fibre broadband only is the best all-round broadband deal if you can get it. Consistent average download speeds of 132Mbps is plenty for most households.
The second tier in Virgin Media’s selection of very fast fibre broadband deals, we reckon the 264Mb downloads will suit households where several people could be streaming or gaming at the same time.
Representing a great compromise between some of Virgin Media’s lower speeds and the blistering, but pricier high-end deals. Average downloads of 362Mb should be more than enough for most households.
Only mid-tier in their range, but still incredibly quick broadband with average downloads of 516Mbps (and a guaranteed to be least 258Mbps), we think this is all the speed most users would ever need.
Virgin Media’s top-of-the-line broadband package. It’s quite simply the fastest widely available broadband in the UK with blistering average download speeds of 1130Mbps and they're expanding their coverage all the time.
Virgin Media’s top-of-the-line broadband package. It’s quite simply the fastest widely available broadband in the UK with blistering average download speeds of 1130Mbps and they're expanding their coverage all the time.
Virgin Media does not, sadly, supply the same router no matter which speed you choose, with slower speeds offering a lower-specced device than higher speed packages. Here's a quick overview:
Router | Package (speed) |
---|---|
Hub 3 | M125 / M250 / M350 / M500 |
Hub 4 | Gig1 Fibre (early rollout) |
Virgin Media Hub 5 | Gig1 Fibre (later rollout) |
Virgin Media Hub 5x | Gig2 Fibre (on trial rollout) |
We won't go into the individual specs of these router here – you can read all the detail in our comprehensive guide to Virgin Media routers. However, a good rule of thumb is that the higher the number (Hub 3, 4, 5 etc.) the better the specification. So that's faster wifi speeds to more devices, broadly speaking.
You'll notice that in actual fact you won't be able to get a Hub 4 anymore as this device was only used during the initial early rollout of the Gig1 package, and was quickly superseded by the Hub 5. Likewise the top-specced router, the Hub 5x, is only available to Gig2 (2Gbps broadband) customers, which is still in the early stages of rollout and only available to a handful of homes.
There are a number of things you should consider when choosing a Virgin Media broadband deal. Here's a brief overview, followed by each factor in more detail. These factors include, but are not limited to:
It is incredibly easy to get either a package that comes with more speed than you need or not enough. When it comes to too much speed, Virgin Media tends to oversell the usefulness of its fastest packages, while at the other end of the scale, it can be tempting to save as much money as possible and find yourself hitting bottlenecks in your home's internet use.
Here is a quick overview of the speeds you should ideally be looking at, depending on the needs of your home and those that live there:
Broadband users | Type of broadband | Speeds |
---|---|---|
1-2 people | ADSL or Fibre | 10-60Mbps |
3-4 people | Fibre or Full Fibre | 100-300Mbps |
5+ people | Full Fibre | 150-500Mbps |
Gamers or streamers | Full Fibre | 300-1Gbps or more |
Now, Virgin Media Broadband speeds start and finish much faster than what is typically recommended. Virgin Media offers the following:
All contracts are 18 months unless you go delving for a super-expensive one-month rolling contract. Contracts are legally binding after the cancellation/cooling off period expires, meaning if you need to leave the contract early you will have to pay the contract out to the end regardless. That even applies if you move house, and the place you're moving to cannot get Virgin Media! Just be aware.
In the terms of the contract all equipment is loaned to you, not bought and not given. This means that when you leave Virgin Media or upgrade a piece of equipment you will have to return your old equipment to Virgin Media. Virgin Media makes this quite easy – it'll send you a box to pack it in with pre-paid postage for its return, or if you're getting an upgrade you can give it to the engineer when they visit.
According to the terms of your contract you have the right to cancel your contract up to 14 days from the day you sign up and receive your contract. This is called the 'cooling off period' and is required by law. If this period passes and you need to cancel, you will be financially responsible for the entire remainder of the contract.
If you're looking at the table above, you'll probably see that some deals packages something over and above the basic deal. Around the time of writing, this is various amounts of bill credit (which is knocked off your first few bills often making the fist one to three months essentially free), and in the case of bundles, Virgin Media was offering a free LG TV if you don't fancy the bill credit, on some bundles.
These sorts of offers change regularly throughout the year, so the above is just an example. but it's worth looking out for special deals and they're often offering a bonus or some variety of money off thats meaningful and not to be sniffed at.
Virgin Media's top broadband download speed is an incredible 2Gbps.
With Virgin Media you can ditch your landline and annoying phone calls.
Huge savings with monthly discounts, bill credits and £0 installation offers.
Lines open 8am-8pm Monday to Sunday
Virgin Media broadband packages start from £25 per month. Virgin frequently offers discounts, bill credits and vouchers on its broadband and TV products. For the latest prices, see our comparison table.
Unfortunately, Virgin Media's new customer deals aren't typically available to existing customers. However, you can often find exclusive upgrade offers within your Virgin Media account. To see the latest deals for new customers, check out our comparison table.